J.J. Abrams

Writer, director and producer J.J. Abrams makes smart, addictive dramas like TV's Lost, and films like Cloverfield and the new Star Trek.

Why you should listen

As the Emmy-winning creator of the smart, addictive TV dramas Lost, Alias and Felicity, J.J. Abrams' name looms large on the small screen. As the writer/director behind the blockbuster explode-a-thon Mission: Impossible III, Cloverfield and the new Star Trek movie, these days Abrams also rules the big screen -- bringing his eye for telling detail and emotional connection to larger-than-life stories.

Abrams' enthusiasm -- for the construction of Kleenex boxes, for the quiet moments between shark attacks in Jaws, for today's filmmaking technologies, and above all for the potent mystery of an unopened package -- is incredibly infectious.

What others say

“As a boy, JJ Abrams was fascinated with magic. As a television writer, director, and producer, he has beguiled audiences with a masterful use of suspense, plot reversals, and special effects.” — Wired

J.J. Abrams’ TED talk

More news and ideas from J.J. Abrams

The members of the TED community have been very busy this week. Below, news briefs on what a few have been up to: Who’ll pay for the Ebola vaccine? To end the Ebola epidemic, we need a vaccine — and a lot of it, fast. The challenge for drugmakers? That’s not a profitable business. Seth Berkley is […]

Enjoy a sampling of the stories from around the internet that captured our interest this week: He’s already the creative force between Star Trek. Now it’s been confirmed that J.J. Abrams will also direct the next episode of Star Wars. [New York Times] See how Abrams’ mind works in his TED Talk, “The mystery box,” […]

Star Trek‘s J.J. Abrams guest-edits this month’s Wired magazine — packed with puzzles and mysteries and little jokes, some unsolvable. And it was all inspired (says the New York Times) by Abrams’ 2007 TEDTalk, where he first opened up about his love of riddles and intricate secrets: